File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)
TRY LAWN BOWLING

Kamloops lawn bowling club offering free instructional sessions

Apr 3, 2024 | 12:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — Lawn bowling is not a seniors-only sport.

That message is being spread by Bruce Clary, who belongs to the Kamloops Riverside Lawn Bowling Club’s membership committee, ahead of free instructional sessions that will be offered later this month.

“A lot of people think they’re too young,” Clary said. “They think it’s a seniors’ game. Then we find, by the time they’re seniors, they’ve got mobility issues and they’ve got difficulty playing.”

The club’s Try-It Days are scheduled for April 27 and April 28 at the club (170 Lorne St.), with sessions beginning at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. each day.

Participants will be educated briefly on rules and receive playing instruction from coaches.

“Everybody thinks, ‘Oh, this is easy. There’s no exercise,'” Clary said. “But once you get going, you’re using muscles you haven’t used in a while and it’s a bit more work than what you think.”

He said younger players might be attracted to realistic opportunities to play competitively in provincial, national and world championship competitions.

Due to a dearth of younger competition, those more prestigious events may be more accessible in lawn bowling in comparison with some other sports, Clary said.

A greenskeeper and helpers work hard to keep the club playing surface smooth, mowing three days a week, fertilizing, watering and using the roller machine to improve pace.

The club has 72 members.

“I would like to have 100,” noted Clary.